Blog Meister

This is an excellent example of a group website done by elementary students. Again I can not blog it you have to visit the site.

Blog Meister

Education World � Technology Center: Blogging?

This is an excellent article, its straight forward and to the point.

Education World � Technology Center: Blogging?: "Blogging?


Blogging?
It's Elementary, My Dear Watson!
Blogging -- or Web logging -- most often is thought of as an activity for high school students. Did you know, however, that students as young as kindergarten now blog on a daily basis in a variety of exciting ways? Read on to find out how elementary blogging works, what topics elementary students and teachers cover in their blogs, software programs and tools to consider, and cautions and tips for starting your own blog. INCLUDED: More than two-dozen links to blogging software and to elementary blogs across the United States.

At its core, blogging -- or Web logging -- is an online diary or journal. Take a look at any blog and you'll immediately see the connection between it and a traditional diary. Often arranged in calendar format with the most recent post first, blogs contain rantings, wishes, commentary, and…well, anything else a writer thinks about, often with graphics and perhaps even with audio and video elements.

As David Warlick points out on his Landmark Project Web site, however, the blog has evolved rapidly into something more:

Number 1: A blog is a Web-publishing concept that enables anyone -- first graders, political pundits, homeless people, high school principals, presidential candidates -- to publish information on the Internet.

Number 2: Blogs (a shortening of weB LOG), or blogging has become a journalistic tool, a way to publish news, ideas, rants, announcements, and ponderings very quickly, and without technical, editorial, and time constraints. It essentially makes anyone a columnist. In fact, many established columnists now publish their own blogs.

Number 3: Blogs, because of their ease of use, and because of the context of news and editorial column writing, have become a highly effective way to help students to become better writers. Research has long shown that students write more, write in greater detail, and take greater care with spelling, grammar, and punctuation, when they are writing to an authentic audience over the Internet.

ELEMENTARY BLOGGING IN ACTION Blogging: One Teacher's Experience

Want to hear how blogging really works? Check out Brenda Dyck's article Log On To a Blog. In it, Brenda describes her reasons for using blogs, suggests steps for getting started, offers student feedback, provides a rubric she uses to evaluate student blogs, and recommends links to more information.

Educators know that students write better when they have a real audience -- not just a teacher with a red pen. In the past, finding such an audience was a challenge. But with Internet access and some basic software, any student can write for the world to see. Although blogging in schools is still in its infancy, anecdotal evidence suggests that students' interest in, and quantity of, writing increases when their work is published online and -- perhaps even more importantly -- when it is subject to reader comments.

So, what do students in grades K-6 blog about? In its blog, Mr. Brune's 4th grade class at Mamaroneck Avenue School in Mamaroneck, New York, has created an online commentary on today's news stories.

At Shepard Elementary School in Columbia, Missouri, Mr. Villasana assigns to each of his fourth graders a day as class reporter. The assigned student must record the day's happenings on the Studio Four-News blog. In Tampa, Florida, Mr. Roemer's Grade 5 Polar Bears also chronicle the day's happenings in detail -- action photos accompany most entries.

Upper elementary students aren't the only ones having the fun, however. At Willowdale Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska, students writing for Mrs. Greenwald's First Grade Blog describe one topic -- from the solar system to the history of Nebraska -- every two weeks; class photos and student drawings are included. And, in the United Kingdom, students as young as seven use Web logs to acquire technical skills that some 15 or 16 year olds have not achieved.

Even in early childhood classrooms, blogs can be a vital part of the learning process; young students can draw their entries rather than write them, narrate entries for the teacher to type in, or the teacher can enter one entry for the entire class. Check out the kindergarten blog from the Arlington Science Focus School in Arlington, Virginia!

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO START BLOGGING?
Many middle and high school classes use such Web-based programs as Blogger or LiveJournal. Although easy to use, those tools are not specific to the education community and they might not have all the safety and supervisory features a teacher, particularly an elementary grade teacher, looks for.

The simplest way to begin is to download a program like Blogmeister. Developed by David Warlick, founder of the Landmark Project, this free blogging tool is completely online; there's no software to install. The teacher sets up the blog and student accounts, and students can add their own entries. The teacher reviews each post and either approves and publishes the entry or returns it to the student for editing before reviewing it again. Click here to read excerpts from student blogs at Blogmeister.

Another easy alternative is KidzLog. At just $9.00 for an academic, single-user license, Kidzlog is an affordable, secure, and simple solution for the elementary teacher wanting to blog on just one classroom computer. Downloads are available for both Windows and Mac OS X and the program resides on that one computer rather than on a school server or elsewhere. Set-up is a matter of just a few steps (choosing a name, selecting design elements, and so on). Then, students write their entries and illustrate them with the simple drawing tools included with KidzLog. Password protection ensures that what students write or draw will not go online until the teacher enters the password.

For teachers with advanced techie skills and interest in open source software, Thingamablog might be a good choice. Thingamablog runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux machines, but requires a Web site hosted on a school, district, or other third-party server.

Lastly, for schools and teachers who are extra-cautious about putting elementary students online, Oracle's Think.com is a possibility. Not strictly a blogging tool, Think.com is a closed e-mail and Web-authoring tool; students can view only e-mails and Web sites created by their peers at their school (or, if you choose, at other Think.com schools). Student-created Think.com Web sites could serve as blogs, with text and graphics entered in journal form. Support from administration and an application process are required before being approved to use the free service, however.

SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY
Although every K-12 student must be kept safe, the age and emerging critical skills of elementary students make ensuring their online safety paramount. First, find out what your district or school Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) says about posting student work and names online. Often, students' first names may be published, along with group photos, as long as there is no indication which name belongs to which student. Be sure to check your district's AUP before proceeding, however.

Next, consider using a blogging program/online tool that requires a password to publish. That way, you as the teacher have final say about what goes online, and you can edit out any identifying information (such as a student's home address!) before it becomes public.

Blogging in the elementary grades is an exciting and doable activity. Be sure to check out the great resources below, as well as the information in the sidebar above, before beginning your blogging adventure!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Blogging rubric
How Can Children Stay Safe Using Blogs?
Weblogg-ed: the read/write web in the classroom
Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web

Article by Lorrie Jackson
Education World®
Copyright © 2005 Education World

EdBlogger Praxis: Student Discourse -NCTE Project Blog

This site is good for the links that it leads to. Since I had a specific objective and audience it covered more topics then I was prepared to read about however the left sidebar offers some very good options.

EdBlogger Praxis: Student Discourse -NCTE Project Blog: "EdBlogger Praxis
Find Examples of Educator Blogs Online. Participate and comment. Are you an EdBlogger & EdPodcaster? Submit your blog (s). Education Blog Portal Cluster"

Weblogs: The Possibilities Are Limitless! : Elementary Student Weblogs

Weblogs: The Possibilities Are Limitless! : Elementary Student Weblogs

This is a link to a group of weblogs done in Atlanta, Georgia.

P2B Class Blog

This is a link to the instructor I wrote about in an earlier blog who stated that he would have liked to create accounts on edublogs but went for google. I found this site via edublog.

The main reason I preferred edublogs was for the safety issue. I did not want sex to be entered as a keyword by a child and have a blog appearing, but bloggers search mechanism is pretty unobstrusive so I felt comfortable going with blogger.

I have not blogged the content of this instructors journal becuase all of it is important and informative so it would be a good idea to just link to the site. I did provide this resource to my son's classroom teacher even though I am not doing the blog workshop hopefully she can use it.

P2B Class Blog

Kid's Blogs (Web Logs, Online Journals, Diaries) - Blog Definition Blog Safety And More

This site is an excellent primer on safety issies to consider when working with children and blogging. Some of the safety rules are 1. A child should never post their real name 2. A child should never post their address, phone number, or other personal information and 3. A child should never upload their picture on the internet.

Kid's Blogs (Web Logs, Online Journals, Diaries) - Blog Definition Blog Safety And More: "About Kid's Blogs and Online Journals and Online Diaries

About Kid's Blogs and Online Journals and Online Diaries
From Marcy Zitz,
Your Guide to Family Internet.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Are Blogs Right for your Child?
Kid's like to share information and one of the popular ways for them to do it is to use a blog.

A blog definition is...

A blog (short for Web Log) is a Website of your own where you enter information ordered by date. It can also be called an online diary or online journal that is shared with others online. Blogs can be set up and maintained by almost anyone with an Internet connection.

Safety Issues and Blogs

I have many concerns about blogs, especially when it comes to children. Although you can maintain anonymity, several slips with information can add up to publishing your name, address, and where you can be found on most days. Online predators surf for vulnerable children and when they can obtain personal information such as likes and dislikes and possible locations of a child can lead to disaster. For instance a post like "I made the team - I have to go to practice every day after school" read with another post "I play for the Raiders" and "The leaves are changing here in New York" with a few other slips can add up to a predator showing up at a school yard in the afternoon.

Public and Private Blogs

Some blog hosts offer to let your blog be either public or private. If it is public it means that anyone can view it. A private blog is password protected, which means that only people with the password can view it.

Your child's right to privacy with their blog.

Parents have always had to wrestle with themselves over whether they should read their child's private thoughts contained in a diary. There are many schools of thought on the subject. Today's parents have a more difficult time because the children are now sharing with the world instead of sharing with a locked diary kept under their bed. Of course this is a personal parenting decision but safety issues are involved with online blogs. Parents need to make sure that the child is not giving away too much information that could put there safety at risk. I have tried to make my children understand from the being that if they type it on the computer, it no longer is private from anyone, and that includes their parents. Here are some safety tips about what should be posted and what shouldn't.

Cost for Using A Blog

There are many places to create a blog for free. Of course you may have to have advertising so the company that is providing the service can make money. As you get more advanced and want to add more things like pictures you may have to get a host to have them served from.

Problems With Having A Blog

My daughter and all her friends keep blogs. One of the main problems is that when one posts something, sometimes others misunderstand what was meant by the comment. Also, if they aren't careful about complaining about Susie and she happens to see the comment or it is sent to her, a full-scale fight can ensue over the comment that they thought was private. Remember that if you post it online, others can see. There are even more serious issues than school yard fights such as threats made in the heat of the moment. For more information about this topic, be sure to read Kids and Blogs - The Danger of Speaking Their Minds.

Where to Create a Blog

Space to Create a Free Blog

More about blogs.

Whether you are a novice or expert, you can learn all about blogs at the About.com Web Log site.

More About Blogs
Kids and Blogs - The Danger of Speaking Their Minds

Space to Create a Free Blog

About.com Web Log Site

More Parent Guides
RuneScape Guide for Parents

A Guide To NeoPets

Parent Guides to Popular Online Topics for Kids

e-Learning Centre: Blogging� tools

This is an excellent page full of blog options for classroom blogs. It allows the facilitator to weigh their options as it relates to the safety and accesibility of the site. Ideally I would have chosen edublogs for the students but went with blogger.com becuase it was free, easy, and had a nice user interface. I did not go for a community site like Live Journal for fourth graders it offered too much access to the outside world. However for a personal blog I probably will try out live journal, it looks like it would be a lot of fun for adults and older teens.


This page provides links to a number of tools that will help you to create blogs, mobile blogs, audio blogs (aka podcasts) and video blogs (aka vblogs), as well as read and keep up to date with blog postings. Listed in alphabetical order.

Apcala
"Public blogging service based on the GPL Elgg engine (http://elgg.net), which was designed for use in education. Users can start their own weblog for free as well as upload files and find people with similar interests. A powerful keyword system allows you to find all the people, weblog posts and files related to a single topic."
Added: 13 April 2005
Reviewer's Note: Sign up for an account - it's completely free, and all you need is a valid email address


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Audioblog.com
"Audioblog.com is the powerful and easy-to-use audio (and video!) publishing service that puts your voice in your weblog or online journal."
Added: 29 November 2004
Reviewer's Note: Record over the Web user BlogRecorder™ Videoblogging with your webcam!


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b2evolution
"b2evolution is probably the most comprehensive blog engine you can find! It includes almost any feature you could expect from a blog tool, and more. Check out the features, not to mention third party plug-ins!"
Added: 2 March 2005
Reviewer's Note: It's free, it's open-source (GPL), it runs virtually anywhere (PHP/mySQL) and it's available in many languages.


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bBlog
"bBlog is a powerful, elegant personal publishing system written in PHP and released as free, Open Source software under the GPL. It is a flexible but simple way to blog that works for blogging beginners, and can grow into a more advanced user's needs."
Added: 20 May 2005
Reviewer's Note: "Perhaps bBlog's most distinctive feature is that it is built around a templating system called Smarty, which makes customizing your blog as easy as editing any web page, no programming skills required."


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Blogbinders
"Blogbinders.com helps you turn your blog into a bound book - great as a gift, an archive, or even to sell to your readers!"
Added: 27 January 2005
Reviewer's Note: Blog types supported: LiveJournal, Movable Type, TypePad, Blogger and DeadJournal


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BlogBridge
"Don't know what BlogBridge is? No problems - we think it's the best news feed and blog aggregation system - bar none! Not only will BlogBridge let you subscribe to your favorite RSS feeds, it will also help you sort through your existing feeds and help you discover new feeds."
Added: 6 July 2005
Reviewer's Note: "It also comes with a server-based service that will let you synchronize all your feeds across multiple computers, and even maintain your read/unread status across those computers."


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blogdex
Added: 27 July 2004
Reviewer's Note: the weblog diffusion index


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Blogdrive
"Set up your Blog site with just a few clicks; Publish your online journal or diary;; Customize your own page instantly"
Added: 9 May 2004
Reviewer's Note: Free blogsite


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Blogger
"Blogger is a free, web-based tool that helps you publish to the web instantly -- whenever the urge strikes. Blogger is the leading tool in the rapidly growing area of web publishing known as weblogs, or "blogs," as we like to say."
Updated: 15 June 2005
Reviewer's Note: Now you can use Word to create your posts using Blogger for Word


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Blogfuse
"A free blog host that fuses search engine optimization (SEO) in the blog templates and blog marketing to drive the most traffic possible to its blogs."
Added: 15 July 2005
Reviewer's Note: Features include multiple authors per blog and multiple blogs per account


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Bloghub
"Bloghub.com is an online directory and community where members from around the world gather here and exchange ideas."
Updated: 27 March 2005
Reviewer's Note: Over 23,000 blogs listed by March 2005


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BlogIdentity.com
"Blog ID is a powerful and easy-to-use weblog service"
Updated: 23 January 2005
Reviewer's Note: 1 Gb of space, domain name and email address included for £99 a year


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Bloglet
"Register your site with Bloglet; Place a subscription form on your site; Your readers subscribe through this form; Every day, readers receive a single email from Bloglet informing them of your site updates. That's all there is to it."
Added: 20 March 2002
Reviewer's Note: A simple way to add a daily newsletter to a blog


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BlogPlanet
"With BlogPlanet, updating your blog while you're on the go is as easy as writing an SMS. It runs on your mobile or Palm handheld and lets you write new blog entries, send them to your blog, edit them afterwards and delete them. On top of that, you can take pictures with the mobile's built-in camera and include them in your posts."
Added: 20 May 2004
Reviewer's Note: "BlogPlanet is a J2ME blog client and has been tested with the Nokia 3650 and Siemens SX1 because these phones allow camera access by a Java MIDlet. A light version is available for users of other Java enabled phones which offers the same functions as the full version except camera support and picture upload."


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Blogrolling
"BlogRolling is a one-stop linklist manager for your blog or journal, helping you manage your ever-evolving linklist with ease. There are a lot of tools out there to help you blog without getting your hands dirty - but managing your linklist still means having to crawl through the HTML in your template every time you want to add or remove a link. No more! Now it's as simple as clicking a link or making a pit stop at BlogRolling."
Added: 28 February 2004
Reviewer's Note: Basic service is free


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Blog search engine
Updated: 27 March 2005
Reviewer's Note: Download the blog search engine toolbar


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Blogsome
A free web hosting service for blogs
Added: 27 November 2004
Reviewer's Note: Features include: Fast, easy and free; Large selection of designs; Upload photos; Personalize your design


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Blogstreet
Added: 27 July 2004
Reviewer's Note: Blog profiles, RSS ecosystems, blog tops, search and directory


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Blogs Visibility and Battle
"Discover the visibility of your blog; you can compare it with another one." From Timsoft
Added: 12 August 2005
Reviewer's Note: Drag & Drop to ToolBar to find the visibility of the current page in browser


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Blogwise
"Blogwise is a site about developing a portal to blogs around the world, efficiently, quickly and nicely. We're here to help you find the best blogs from around the world that will interest and captivate you."
Updated: 27 March 2005
Reviewer's Note: Over 43,000 blogs listed by March 2005


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drupal.org
"Drupal.org is the official website of Drupal, an open source content management platform. Equipped with a powerful blend of features, Drupal can support a variety of websites ranging from personal weblogs to large community-driven websites."
Updated: 20 May 2005
Reviewer's Note: "Drupal is software that allows an individual or a community of users to easily publish, manage and organize a great variety of content on a website."


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eBloggy
"eBloggy offers free blog hosting together with tools like blog templates, group blogs and more! With eBloggy, you can update and publish your free blog quickly and easily!"
Added: 14 July 2004
Reviewer's Note: eBloggy features include: yourname.ebloggy.com, Blog Statistics, 100% Customizable (HTML), Group Blogs, Entry Icons, etc


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edublogs.org
This is a "totally unique project aimed at teachers, researchers, writers and educators the world over. Basically you get to set up a free WordPress blog, 10MB of upload space (extending to much much more down the line), an enormous stack of beautiful themes and to be part of a unique community."
Added: 2 August 2005
Reviewer's Note: edublogs.org s a no-strings-attached, open source, ongoing and freely available service for you and you’re invited to take part!


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Fotopages
"Fotopages is a website that allows you to create your own photolog. What is a photolog? It's like a blog, but its designed for people who take lots of photographs.
Added: 9 May 2004
Reviewer's Note: Can also include text as well as pictures


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Google Blog Search
"Blog Search is Google search technology focused on blogs. Google is a strong believer in the self-publishing phenomenon represented by blogging, and we hope Blog Search will help our users to explore the blogging universe more effectively ... Blog Search enables you to find out what people are saying on any subject of your choice. Your results include all blogs, not just those published through Blogger; our blog index is continually updated, so you'll always get the most accurate and up-to-date results."
Added: 14 September 2005
Reviewer's Note: The goal of Blog Search is to include every blog that publishes a site feed (either RSS or Atom). It is not restricted to Blogger blogs, or blogs from any other service.


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GrokSoup
"GrokSoup is the best place for you to build and manage a news site. You can create anything here from your own version of CNN, to a weblog, to your internal press room, to your own version of the Drudge Report -- it's up to you. We have browser-based tools that make it easy for you to add, delete, edit, and syndicate content."
Added: 3 September 2001
Reviewer's Note: another weblogging site


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iUplog
"Uplog is an easy to use, full-featured web and mobile blogging service that lets you share and publish your information from anywhere... Get your own Blog site from iUplog and start writing, authoring is as easy as: Using your browser; Sending an email; Snapping a pic."
Added: 24 December 2004
Reviewer's Note: Sign up for a free account!


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JustBlogIt
"JustBlogIt is a Mozilla / Firefox extension to allow easy right-click posting to a weblog. From any website your new blog post is only a right-click away."
Added: 17 October 2004
Reviewer's Note: JustBlogIt supports posting to a variety of weblog system types and is not specific to just one. You can also use the Custom... setting to add any weblog type you want.


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KidzLog
"KidzLog makes weblog publishing both easy and fun. Even young children should be able to publish a weblog with KidzLog."
Added: 29 June 2004
Reviewer's Note: Beta for MacOS X currently downloadable, a Windows version will be available soon


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LiveJournal
"LiveJournal is a simple-to-use (but extremely powerful and customizable) personal publishing ("blogging") tool, built on open source software."
Added: 15 September 2003
Reviewer's Note: Joining the site is free.


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Manila
"Manila is an Internet server application that allows groups of writers, designers and graphics people to manage full-featured, high performance Web sites through an easy-to-use browser interface."
Added: 21 August 2001
Reviewer's Note: Includes edit-this-page buttons and full content management. Can be used for weblogging. Has good reviews


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motime
"You'll be online in less than 5 minutes! And it's free!
Added: 11 May 2004
Reviewer's Note: motime stands for "MOre Than Instant MEssaging". The basic service is a personal web log, private messages, instant messaging client and subscriptions.


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Movable Type
"It is a decentralized, web-based personal publishing system designed to ease maintenance of regularly updated news or journal sites, like weblogs."
Added: 21 August 2002
Reviewer's Note: Open source - now becoming a favourite amongst bloggers.


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MSN Spaces
"With MSN Spaces, you can easily create and manage your blog from your computer or your mobile phone. It's a great way to share information and photos with your friends and family. And best of all, it's free!"
Added: 2 December 2004
Reviewer's Note: Microsoft's new beta blogging service


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Pitas.com
"Hey chief, tired of updating your "news" page for your website and want a page you can update easily, quickly and from any web browser? Or maybe you'd like to let some of your friends add news or links to your page, without giving them access to your normal web page? ... Most people use their pitas page to create some sort of "recent news" page for their site, or a weblog (basically a list of links with some commentary that is updated frequently)"
Added: 3 September 2001
Reviewer's Note: An easy to use (hosted) weblogging tool


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Powerblogs
"PowerBlogs specializes in fast, reliable managed blog hosting using our best-of-breed blogging software."
Added: 20 May 2005
Reviewer's Note: "New bloggers will find PowerBlogs very easy to use, but PowerBlogs also has the best power-features for advanced users. Everything is customizable, even the posting interface!"


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Radio Userland
"Radio UserLand is a unique and powerful web publishing and weblog tool that is used and praised by many of the world's most accomplished web authors. With advanced features such as an integrated news aggregator, Radio enables users to do far more than is possible with the hosted-only weblog products offered by others."
Updated: 23 January 2005
Reviewer's Note: "Download Radio UserLand today and begin experiencing the power and pleasure of personal web publishing. After your free 30-day trial period, Radio costs only $39.95 per year complete with site hosting and 40 megabytes of storage."


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Schoolblogs
"The aim is to make available the potential of weblogs to the educational world. To that end, anyone involved in education can create and maintain an individual SchoolBlog here free of charge. The process is simple, taking a matter of seconds to create an online writing space with its own 'look and feel'."
Added: 7 February 2004
Reviewer's Note: SchoolBlogs was set up by Peter Ford, a former teacher at the British School of Amsterdam, and Adam Curry, ex MTV-vj and co-founder of the United Resources of Jamby


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SeoBlog
"Free blog hosting service featuring search engine friendly URLs, multiple authors and multilingual support, pre-installed scripts and templates"
Added: 14 September 2004
Reviewer's Note: "Get your free blog up and running, in less than a minute! NO popups, NO popunders, NO hidden costs!"


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tBLOG
"A free and bannerless blogging tool!"
Added: 20 June 2003
Reviewer's Note: "With tBLOG you can seamlessly integrate our fully customizable blog templates with any website"


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Technorati
"Want to know what's being said, right now, about every weblog or webpage that has something worth talking about?"
Added: 27 July 2004
Reviewer's Note: "Technorati is the authority on what's going on in the world of weblogs."


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textamerica
"WIth a Moblog you can post pictures, video and text from your camera phone direct to web instantly."
Added: 9 May 2004
Reviewer's Note: Free registration to start posting pictures instantly


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Thingamablog
"Thingamablog is a cross-platform, standalone blogging application that makes authoring and publishing your weblogs almost effortless. Unlike most blogging solutions, Thingamablog does NOT require a third-party blogging host, a cgi/php enabled web host, or a MySQL database. In fact, all you need to setup, and manage, a blog with Thingamablog is FTP, SFTP, or network access to a web server."
Added: 6 September 2004
Reviewer's Note: Download the beta version


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TypePad
"TypePad is a powerful, hosted weblogging service that gives users the richest set of features to immediately share and publish information -- like travel logs, journals and digital scrapbooks -- on the Web. TypePad lets people communicate, publicly or privately, with the audience of their choosing."
Added: 9 May 2004
Reviewer's Note: 30-day free trial. Also contains moblogging functionality


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Userplane AV Blogger
"Userplane's Audio & Video Blogger service is an easy-to-use system allowing the creation of audio and video recorded messages for use in blogs, websites and email."
Added: 22 November 2004
Reviewer's Note: The Userplane AV Recorder application will automatically detect your camera and microphone, and allow you to record up to a 10 minute recording. Each recording is streamed from the Userplane servers, and can be copy-and-pasted into your web media.


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Waypath
"Waypath provides new ways to explore the rich content of weblogs, using text analysis techniques pioneered by Think Tank 23."
Added: 27 July 2004
Reviewer's Note: Waypath makes available a number of exciting projects for mining the ever-growing and broadly based world of weblogs.


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w.bloggar
"The best interface between you and your blogs"
Updated: 23 January 2005
Reviewer's Note: Freeware


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Web Crossing
"Web Crossing is simply the best blog server you'll find. With support for private categories, optional user comments, teasers, spellcheck, fast indexed search, photo blogging, drafts, and a unique timed-release feature, you won't find a more full-featured weblog tool. Besides all of that, you'll get access controls, RSS feeds by category, email subscriptions, and support for Metaweblog and Blogger APIs so you can post from your favorite blog client. Long known for it's award-winning discussion tools, Web Crossing has dozens of other plug-ins - just turn them on. "
Added: 1 February 2005
Reviewer's Note: Web Crossing is available as a hosted service, or as licensed software running on your equipment.


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Weblogs4schools
"As a part of its Weblogs4Schools initiative, ICT4Schools will help schools and other organisations with the introduction and efficient use of weblogs under an individualised domain name. Set up by Peter Ford, who is responsible for www.schoolblogs.com
Reviewer's Note:"The cost for primary schools is GBP 200 per year for up to 100 weblogs hosted under a common domain name ... You simply create them as you need them."


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Wordpress
"WordPress is a state-of-the-art semantic personal publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. What a mouthful. WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time. More simply, WordPress is what you use when you want to work with your blogging software, not fight it."
Updated: 12 January 2004
Reviewer's Note: Very popular open source blogging software

Education World� Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web

Education World� Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web

This is probably one of the first sites I linked to when I began preparing for the workshop. It's really not very informative but is good for individuals who have absolutely positively no idea what blogging is.


The workshop by the way has been cancelled, and since this was suppossed to be the last thing I did that was non-profit before starting a formal job search, I will not be conducting the workshop at all, but I will list all of my sources. I've been working on this for several weeks, so hopefully through my history and bookmarks I will be able to blog most of my links.

edublogs - free education blogs for teachers, researchers, writers and educators the world over

edublogs - free education blogs for teachers, researchers, writers and educators the world over

This is a good blogging site. I originally wanted to assign user names for student bloggers to this site, however this is for educational professionals. I was going to just break the rules however there is an excellent community blog done by an instructor in which he goes out of the way to say what I've just said and then he proceeds to link to student work on blogger.com. So I ended up assigning user names to blogger.com

Some Uses of Blogs in Education

This is a chart that shows the ways blogs can be used in an educational setting.

Education World � Professional Development Center: Log On to a Blog

Education World � Professional Development Center: Log On to a Blog

This is a really interesting article on why a teacher chose to do a blog.

Why this Blog?

I have volunteered to instruct my sons class on how to blog. This blog will basically link to the resources I find and record my observations and the reactions of the students as present the information to the children.